Ice making machines release large amounts of heat at the condenser of the refrigeration system during freezing of water into ice. Prior self-contained ice making machines were arranged to withdraw air for cooling the condenser from the room in which the ice making machine is installed and to discharge the condenser cooling air back into that room. This can cause the air temperature in the room in which the ice making machine is installed to progressively build up to relatively high temperatures and, as the temperature of the air for cooling the condenser increases, the refrigeration discharge pressure increases and reduces the ice making capacity and many self-contained ice making machines either stop producing ice at all or make an unsatisfactory ice product when the room temperature rises above 110.degree. F.
In order to avoid the above problems, it is common practice, particularly in larger size ice making machines, to locate the condenser remote from the ice making machine, such as on the roof of the building. However, the remote condenser type installations are costly to make and install and are generally considered economically impractical for ice machines having a rated capacity of 800 pounds per day or less.